“Those who are touched by an inspirational idea and allow it to take charge and dominate their thoughts find new vistas open to them.”

“Those who are touched by an inspirational idea and allow it to take charge and dominate their thoughts find new vistas open to them.”
-Author Unknown

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I had an inspirational thought almost three years ago. The idea was to combine my love of coaching and making a difference in people’s lives with my love of provocative and engaging quotes that provide wisdom in small and easy to digest nuggets.

As I write this post, that idea has generated over 600 Quotable Coach posts (this is #632), gained a worldwide readership of over 1,200 daily subscribers, and a new book launched in the summer of 2014.

EXERCISE

What inspirational ideas can you pursue today to mobilize your efforts and have new vistas open up for you?

Consider joining me in paying forward the nuggets of wisdom you find most helpful in any of the following ways:

  1. Share the free Quotable Coach blog with those you care about in your professional or personal life. Make sure to review the category list for those you find have the greatest impact.
  2. Consider printing out and occasionally displaying highly relevant quotes, reflections, and exercises for others within your personal or professional communities to ponder.
  3. Consider purchasing a paperback copy of The Quotable Coach for yourself, or perhaps as a gift to others for the coming holiday season. Some readers use it as a coffee table or dinner table conversation starter.

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

– David Bly, American politician and member of the House of Representatives

Photo from Flickr by Tim Buss

Photo from Flickr by Tim Buss

The world is filled with “get rich quick” schemes, like the miracle diet that will let you lose weight effortlessly, and many other supposedly low-effort, high-result strategies. The problem with just about all of them is that they simply do not work.

I really like the word “striving.” It causes me to think of pursuing a noble and passionate cause when I’m “all in” and won’t stop until the goal is reached.

For me, though, it is not simply the goal that is the source of this striving. My passion, inspiration, and fundamental purpose for being mobilized into action are also essential.

Exercise:

What are the important goals and hoped-for harvests in your professional and personal life that inspire you to strive and do the hard and challenging work required of you today?

 

Choice Not Chance

“It’s choice – not chance – that determines your destiny.”

– Jean Nidetch, co-founder of Weight Watchers

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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Lisa Nichols speak at a coaching conference. Lisa first came to the attention of the personal development world when she was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, due to her involvement in the movie “The Secret” that focused on the Law of Attraction.

Her inspirational journey from poverty to running her own public company was a result of her many courageous choices along the way.

Please check out Lisa at her website www.motivatingthemasses.com. You can see her appearance on Oprah here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zuW_tEbz1Y

Exercise:

Where can you use your own power of choice, not chance, to help determine your professional and personal destiny?

“Your greatness is measured by your horizons.”

“Your greatness is measured by your horizons.”

– Michelangelo, Renaissance sculptor and painter

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Image from Flickr by The Nick Page.

When was the last time you watched the weather report on the evening news? In addition to temperature, humidity, and chance of precipitation, they sometimes include “visibility,” which is the distance one can see clearly toward the horizon.

Consider not only how far you can see into the distance but also what you can see. The inspirational and vivid goals within your horizons, as Michelangelo suggests, can be the fuel of greatness.

Exercise:

Imagine you have the capacity to expand your vision’s clarity and distance, viewing your personal horizons through a telescope or binoculars.

What horizons do you see that will be the measure of your greatness in the days and weeks ahead?

#89: “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher

What does it mean to live a good hour? It could mean:

  • Being fully present to each person and fully engaged in each experience.
  • Living in the moment, not dwelling on the past or daydreaming solely of the future.
  • Living a life of meaning and purpose beyond your own concerns.
  • Being generous and sharing your special gifts and resources with others.
  • Learning and growing in some way each day, and sharing your knowledge and life experiences with others.

Exercise:

What does living a good hour include for you?

What next step will you take to move toward greater wisdom?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#88: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

– Martin Luther King, Junior, Civil Rights leader

Coaches love questions. Digging for the answer provides great satisfaction. This one is a doozy. Martin Luther King Junior is considered by many one of the most inspirational leaders, and he spent his life with a dream. He put in a massive effort to serve others. He walked his talk.

Exercise:

What is your current answer to the question, “What are you doing for others?” What would you like your answer to be at the end of the day – and perhaps the end of your days?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#2: “Do not follow where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

We’re wired to doing what other people expect of us. We learn (from parents, teachers, and other influencers) that we should try to fit in and not stand out.

Yet many of us regret that we did not follow our own muse, passions and visions.

Ask yourself:

  • What inspires me?
  • What am I passionate about?
  • Where do I lose all my sense of time?
  • Where and when am I the happiest?
  • What are my unique abilities and talents?

Exercise:

How will you find the courage to chart your own life journey? Where will you go and what will you do?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your email address in the sidebar to the right.